9 Months Old!

I turned three quarters of a year old yesterday! Yes, I am getting to be such a big boy. My pediatrician appointment got rescheduled and won't be until Sept. 4th so it will be more like my 10 month check-up. In the mean time, we'll have to make due with Mommy's calculations. According to her measurements, I am about 29 inches long (67th percentile), I weigh about 23 pounds (80th percentile), and my head is 27.5 inches around (25th percentile). Mommy and Daddy say I am thinning out a bit and getting longer and leaner. I guess that's normal for kiddos my age. I still have plenty of baby chub left, though. I continue to explore new tastes and textures with solid foods and now prefer real solids to purees (although I still love fresh applesauce).

I am also getting around really well and have become an expert crawler. I crawl all over the house. I like to explore and get into tight spaces and anything I'm not supposed to touch. My favorite thing right now is trying to pull down the speaker stand for the small surround sound speaker by the couch in the living room. I have succeeded several times, and each time it falls it scares me. Mommy tries to distract me and has explained several times that it will "fall, go boom" but I am just too curious. They swear I always go for the things I am supposed to stay away from. I am still quite into practicing my standing and cruising around furniture. Now I can hold on with just one hand!

Dada is my new favorite word. I also use Mama frequently as well as Neh, my word for nursing. I can also say Ba but haven't decided if I'll use that for ball or bunny. The other day when Daddy came home, he said "Hello!" and I imitated his inflection. It kind of sounded like "El-O" and my parents were quite impressed. I haven't repeated it since, though. As is normal for 9 month olds, I have entered my separation and stranger anxiety stage now. I still like people, but now I act shy and take a little bit to warm up before I start smiling and jump into a new person's arms. Also, when I decide I want my mom, I make it known! Even when I'm with Dada, I will call for Mom or go find her (now that I'm crawling so well). I really love my Dada, though. Mommy says that it seems like Dada is my happy word and Mama is my upset word. She doesn't like that so much, but Dada is really fun and Mama keeps me safe. Makes sense, right? I am still a happy baby who wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Yesterday was not only my 9 month birthday, but also my parents' 5th wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! They celebrated and went out to supper at a fancy restaurant. I spent a few hours with my first official babysitter other than my grandmas. My parents' friend Megan came over and played with me and we had a good time! I didn't cry at all. Mom was very proud of me. The night before, we had a house guest - our friend David Mitchell from Chicago. He and Daddy went to the baseball game that night and then he stayed overnight. He hung out a bit and played with me yesterday. He's fun! So, it was a long and exciting day. Daddy and I fell asleep on the couch together a little before 9pm. Enjoy the pics!

Me and Megan

The whole family

Daddy and I conked out